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A simple idea: remind people to use revolving doors

Our agency's building has revolving doors, but they're slow (for some reason, they operate automatically), and impatient people frequently avoid them and use the conventional automatic doors that are next to the revolving ones. These conventional doors are primarily intended to be used by people with disabilities, but I've seen entire groups of ten, twelve, or more people head through one of the conventional doors en masse -- and none of those people appeared to have a disability.

As the person who posted Entry #297 pointed out, conventional doors (especially automatic doors) waste energy, because they let the inside, climate-controlled air out, and the outside air (and frequently the weather) in.

My idea is simple: where revolving doors exist (or are being installed) in Federal facilities, post signs on nearby conventional doors, explaining that those doors waste energy, and reminding people to use the revolving doors where possible.

I think many people don't realize how much energy is dissipated every time a conventional door opens, or how much energy is saved when a revolving door is used instead. The signs I'm suggesting would provide those people with that important information. The signs would also remind people who are already aware of the energy loss that their seemingly-insignificant daily choices, when added to the thousands -- or even millions -- of other people's choices, can have a profound effect on our overall energy use, and on the health of our planet.

This idea would reduce energy use, and the accompanying costs, in a way that is concrete and quantifiable. It could also be easily implemented administratively by the Executive Branch (as well as the other branches of government). Plus it would be relatively inexpensive.